Fire-escape.



E. J. 000KB. FIRE ESCAPE APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 10, 1908.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

3 SHEETBSHEET 1.

.l llll.

B. J. 000KB.

FIRE ESCAPE, APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1908;

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wi 1H Made:

WNW

, I h limillh. I

60,. PNOTO-LITHOGRAHERS. wAsmNuw u a E. J. 000KB. m1: Baum.

APPLICATION III-SP AUG. 10, 1908. 93 1 D40. Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

ll, 3mm

A lzmiwv a. GRANADA on. mum-ummrntns. wummm, n c.

, To all "whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL J. OOOKE, OF TRAVERSE'OITY, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Be it known that I, EARL J. CooKn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Traverse City, in the county of Grand Traverse and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvementsin fire escapes for use on' buildings'and more particularly to one having an endless carrier and a braking device controlled by the weight of the load upon the carrier.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical apparatus of this character which will be reliable and automatic in operation, and which will operate the same without regard to the number of persons upon it.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of theimproved fire escape; Fig. 2 is a front elevation; Fig. 3 is a top plan View; Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views; and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a slightly modified form of brake.

The invention comprises a stationary support 1 adapted to be secured to the top or.

side of a building and carrying a vertically movable support 2 which is yieldably.

mounted and adapted to support an endless carrier or flexible ladder 3. The carrier 3 is here shown in the form of a broad belt or chain and consists of two sprocket chains 4 united and spaced apart by rods 5 and, if desired, wire baskets 6 or analogous loadsupporting receptacles or platforms may be provided at intervals upon the carrier or ladder. The chains 4 pass around guide sprocket wheels 7 suitably mounted adjacent to the ground or lower portion of the building and they also pass over supporting sprocket wheels 8 fixed to 'a horizontal shaft 9 journaled in the support '2. The latter, as here shown, consists of two blocks 10 formed adjacent to their ends with vertical openings to receive upright guide guide said support in its sllding movement. The posts '11 rise from the forward portion of the support 1, which latter is here shown. as in the form of an open frame of substanposts 11 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 10, 1908.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Serial No. 447,806.

tially U-shape but which may be of any suitable form and construction. Fixed to and depending from the center of the blocks 10 are guide rods 12, the lower ends of which pass through and slide 'in vertical openings formed in the support 1.. The rods 12 guide coil springs 13 which surround them and are confined between the stationary support 1 and the blocks 10 of the vertically movable support 2, thereby yieldably mounting the latter.

The vertical movement of the support 2 caused by the weight of a load placed upon the carrier or ladder 3 is adapted to actuate a brake device which, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings, comprises one or more brake disks or wheels 14 arranged between opposing brake shoes 15, 16. The disk 14 is fixed to a pivot or shaft 17 journaled in the inner ends of links 18, the opposite ends of which are swung from the shaft 9 of the sprocket wheels. Meshing gears 19, 20 are provided respectively on the shafts 9, 17 so that the movement of the carrier will be imparted to the brake disk 14. The lower brake shoe orblock 15 is pivoted at 21 upon the support 1 and the upper brake shoe or block 16 is carried by a horizontal lever 22, therear or inner end of which is loosely mounted, as at 23, at the upper end of a standard or upright 24 of the frame 1. The forwardend of the brake lever or beam 22 is apertured to receive a vertical connecting rod 25 which has its lower end loosely engaged with the shaft 9, as shown at 26, and its upper end surrounded by a coil spring 27 and screw threaded to receive an adjusting nut 28. The spring 27 is confined between said nut and the brake lever 22 and tends to force the latter downwardly so as to bind the brake disk or wheel 14 between the two shoes 15, 16. By adjusting the nut 28 the tension of the spring may be controlled to vary the action of the braking device.

In operation, when one or more persons step into the baskets 6 or upon the rods or rungs 5 of the endless carrier or ladder, their weight will actuate the support 2 downwardly against the tension of the springs 13 and at the same time the carrier or ladder will rotate carrying downwardly the basket or the portion of the carrier or ladder upon which they are located. The downward movement of the shaft 9 will be imparted brake disks 14L, and'the' 'rotationofsaid shaft will be imparted to said brake disks, so that the movement of the carrier or ladderwillbe effectively controlled. It will be noted that the movement of the carrier or ladder' 'wi'll be uniform without regard to the numberof persons'upon the same and that this movement may be effectively regulated by adjusttheir intermediate portions surrounded by supporting springs 13. 22* denotes brake levers -pivoted intermediate their ends in bearings 23 upon-the support 1 and having their inner ends formed with curved brake shoesle'" to engage the brake disk 14?. The outer ends of said levers carry upwardly projecting rods 25* which slide through adjustingjnuts 28 and which are surrounded bycoil springs 27. The tubular adjusting nuts 28? are arranged in suitable brackets upon the support l and are adapted to regulate the tension of the springs 27 upon the brake levers. In operation, it will be seen that when'a load is applied to the carrieror ladderthe shaft 9 will be rotated and also moved downwardly so that its rotating brake disk or disks 14* will be caused to frictionally engage the shoes 16 of the V brake levers 22 VVhile the preferred embodiments of the inventionhave been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction set forth and that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details may be resorted: to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. 7

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A fire escape comprising a stationary support, guides thereon, a vertically movable support on said guides, a spring for yield.- ably supporting the movable support, an endless carrier suspended from said movable support, a brake disk actuated by the rotary Y movement of the carrier, a brake lever fixed at one end, a brake shoe carried by the intermediate portion of the lever and adapted to engage said disk and means connecting the other end of the lever to said :movablle support.

2. A fire escape comprising a stationary support, guides thereon,"a vertically movable support on said guides, a spring for yieldably supporting the movable support, an

' endless carrier suspended from said movable mediate portion of the lever and adapted to engage said disk and an adjustable spring connection between the other end of the lever and the movable support.

3. A fire escape comprising a stationary support, guides thereon, a vertically movable support on said guides, a spring for yieldably supporting the movable support, an endless carrier suspended from said movable support, a brake disk rotated by the retary movement of the carrier, a pivotally mounted brake shoe to engage one point of the brake disk, a brake lever having a brake shoe intermediate its ends to engage the brake disk at a point opposite the first mentioned brake shoe, a connection between one end of the lever and said stationary support and a connection between the other end of the lever and said movable support.

4-. A fire escape comprising a stationary support, guides thereon, a vertically movable support on said guides, a spring for yieldably supporting the movable support, a horizontal shaft journaled in the movable support, an endless carrier mounted on said shaft, gear wheels fixed to said shaft, a second shaft, links rotatable upon the first mentioned shaft and having bearingsfor the second-mentioned shaft, gears upon the second mentioned shaft inmesh with the'first mentioned gears, brake disks upon the second mentioned shaft, oppositely disposed brake shoes engaged with said disks, a loose connection between one brake shoe of each disk and said stationary support,fa'brake lever fixed intermediate its ends to the other brake shoe of each disk, a connectionbetween one end of each of the levers and the stationary support and a connection between the other ends of each of said levers and said movable support. I

'5. A fire escape comprising a stationary support, guides thereon, a vertically movable support 011 said guides, a spring for yieldably supporting the movable support, a horil 5 zontal shaft journaled in the movable support, an endless carrier mounted on said shaft, gear wheels fixed to sa1dshaft,'a second shaft, links rotatable upon the first'menn tioned shaft and having bearings for the 14) lift support, the other ends of said levers being apertured, threaded rods connected to the movable support and passed through the apertures in said levers, adjusting nuts upon said rods and coil springssurroundingsaid rods and confined between said nuts and said levers.

6. A fire escape comprising a U-shaped support having the outer portions of its arms formed with vertical guide openings, pairs of guide rods rising from said arms, a vertically movable support comprising a shaft and bearing blocks, the latter having guide openings to receive said pairs of rods, guide rods depending from said blocks and slidable in the vertical guide openings in the arms of the U-shaped support, coil springs surrounding the last mentioned rods for yieldably supporting the movable support, an endless carrier hung from said shaft, a brake disk actuated by the rotary movement of the carrier, a lever having a brake shoe to co-act With said disk and a connection between said lever and said movable support. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses. EARL J. COOKE. WVitnesses CHAS. A. BUGBEE, FRANK SHUMSKY/ 

